Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
Neuron. 2020 Oct 14;108(1):93-110. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.09.003.
Visualizing and perturbing neural activity on a brain-wide scale in model animals and humans is a major goal of neuroscience technology development. Established electrical and optical techniques typically break down at this scale due to inherent physical limitations. In contrast, ultrasound readily permeates the brain, and in some cases the skull, and interacts with tissue with a fundamental resolution on the order of 100 μm and 1 ms. This basic ability has motivated major efforts to harness ultrasound as a modality for large-scale brain imaging and modulation. These efforts have resulted in already-useful neuroscience tools, including high-resolution hemodynamic functional imaging, focused ultrasound neuromodulation, and local drug delivery. Furthermore, recent breakthroughs promise to connect ultrasound to neurons at the genetic level for biomolecular imaging and sonogenetic control. In this article, we review the state of the art and ongoing developments in ultrasonic neurotechnology, building from fundamental principles to current utility, open questions, and future potential.
在模式动物和人类中对全脑范围的神经活动进行可视化和干扰是神经科学技术发展的主要目标。由于固有的物理限制，已建立的电和光技术通常在此规模下失效。相比之下，超声波很容易穿透大脑，在某些情况下还能穿透颅骨，并以 100μm 和 1ms 的基本分辨率与组织相互作用。这种基本能力激发了人们利用超声波作为大规模脑成像和调制的一种模式的重大努力。这些努力已经产生了已经有用的神经科学工具，包括高分辨率的血液动力学功能成像、聚焦超声神经调节和局部药物输送。此外，最近的突破有望将超声与神经元在遗传水平上连接起来，用于生物分子成像和声基因控制。在本文中，我们从基本原理到当前的应用、开放性问题和未来的潜力，综述了超声神经技术的最新进展。
